Plaque with a Dalai Lama. Bronze in repoussé, fire-gilt. Tibet. Early 19th century. A powerful figure wrapped in several layers of fine robes, enthroned en face on a large cushion seat. His left hand on his lap, holding the dharmachakra (wheel of karma), his right hand in vitarkamudra, holding the stem of a lotus plant, with pustaka, shankha and a sword in the flower. He wears the traditional pandita hat of the Gelug school, following the iconography of Tsongkhapa. The contracted eyebrows convey a stern expression. Remains of the red pigment. The figure probably depicts the 8th Dalai Lama, Jampal Gyatso (1758-1804). 35.5 x 30 cm

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